Ohio's Policy Kitchen

Dear Ohio,
Hello from Oklahoma! Being in different regions of the country, we don’t often have much interaction besides when the states are read in alphabetical order or when the Sooners play the Buckeyes (sorry about last year).
We have one important thing in common, though: smart, forward-thinking criminal justice reform.
Oklahoma voters passed two game-changing amendments in 2016 and now Ohio is poised to vote on State Issue 1.
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The OK Policy team says vote yes on Issue 1.
For years, Oklahoma’s incarceration rate had been at or near the highest in the country. Harsh mandatory minimums and tough-on-crime laws led to simple drug... read more

By Leah Pike
This summer, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted workplace raids of Corso’s Flower and Garden Center in Sandusky, and Fresh Mark meatpacking plants in Salem, Massillon and Canton. They were among ICE’s largest... read more

Virgil Pittman was going to be a teacher. He was 19, had graduated from Cleveland’s John F. Kennedy high school. He was taking classes at Cuyahoga Community College. It was 1995, the height of America’s... read more

Student loan debt is crushing Ohioans, who owe a combined $57 billion.
On average, Ohio undergraduate students who attend public universities and community colleges borrow $23,116 and $15,767, respectively. Students in Ohio struggle more with student... read more

Weekend economists on talk radio sometimes praise the sanctity of the “free market.” But some markets work better when states get involved with them. A great example is the child care market.
Indulge me in a... read more

Like the rest of the 2017 federal tax plan, the Opportunity Zone program will reduce taxes for wealthy people – but if done right, it could spark the revitalization of some of Ohio’s distressed communities.
Under... read more

It's debate time in the Ohio race for governor!
The debate will be held September 19, 7pm at the University of Dayton; October 1, 7pm at Marietta College; and October 8, 7pm at Cleveland State University.... read more

By Brett Litzler, Policy Matters Intern
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I'm an undergraduate at Ohio State, but when I'm not in school, I live in my parent's home in Avon Lake, a town on Cleveland's west side where I went... read more